A Runner’s Journey to Her 1st Int'l Marathon

When the going gets rough, the tough get going. While some go running. In a generation where everything is handed to us in an instant, one might consider this sport primitive because hitting the pavement with your rubber shoes is as simple as breathing.

Running is a sport that fuels ones' drive to start their journey but take determination to finish. It is every runner’s dream to cross that finish line, and yet we forget that the journey is just as important.

Kassy Pajarillo, 26, is a freelance Media Relations cum Events Coordinator whose aim in life is to check off every item in her bucket list before it becomes overdue or impossible to reach. Not always starting as such, earlier in her life she had a serious bout of hives and was induced with heavy dosages of steroids as medication, and her weight soared with no caloric effort. To her disdain, depression had set in.

Running had become the outlet that she needed to motivate herself out of her challenges. She ran in pace with the life that she wanted – a healthier one. She engaged in Bikram Yoga; got a certification as a TRX trainer, now offering her expertise to friends, family, and enthusiasts; while on the weekends, if not in a marathon, she’s in the ocean surfing.

Also a self-declared flexitarian, her zest for life has been an insatiable journey towards health and fitness, and it’s a wonder how everyone else had kept pace with her. Still with running as her first love, Kassy is slowly but surely approaching the next item to be checked off her list – to run in an international marathon.

Running for a cause

Beginning this journey with a few local marathons here and there for almost a year, vigorous training has not stopped for Kassy whose breather were a few surf sessions in between and the occasional yoga cravings. This, she believes, is what is expected for her first international marathon in the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore.

With a clear direction and sheer determination, Kassy will be running a full 42.2KM marathon in the beautiful city of Singapore come December. She admits that although it will be a challenge to complete her first destination marathon race, she is especially motivated by the excitement of knowing that it will benefit such a worthy cause – the communities and families of the Maple Tree Foundation.

The Maple Tree Foundation’s vision is to help deprived and underserved mountain communities live healthy, productive, and peaceful lives with sustainable resource development programs that provide basic services, livelihood development, and education. For this, they need not to stay as less privileged citizens around Manila believing it will make their lives easier, when in fact they can do this comfortably in their own hometowns. Maple Tree founders are Canadian, Kassy figured, if these Canadians have been helping our citizens, Filipinos should too. And she did, pledging and successfully raising PHP 10,000 to help in this cause.

Kassy explains, “Whether it is to lose weight or to run for a cause, once you've achieved that first kilometer to a mile, you'll be proud of yourself by finishing one race after another. There's no clear explanation on what the runner's high is, it varies per person, but it definitely gives you a lot of lessons that you can apply in life like patience and determination; goal setting; and achieving with proper training. Just like life, vision without action is merely a dream.”

Kassy dreams to finish her first international marathon with a smile on her face proudly knowing she finished.

It’s never too late to help Kassy run for Maple Tree Foundation. On 5 December 2010. You may read more through her active lifestyle blog Flexitarian Runaholic Diary; sponsorships, goods, books and merchandise are welcome for the benefit of Maple Tree Foundation.

To Kassy, an advanced Congratulations to you, and I know God will continue to bless you and guide you in all your dreams, your generous effort and cause. Finish strong Kassy!